PREDICTIONS that an independent Camberley cinema would close came true last week as big business squeezed more small firms from the town.

Management and staff at Robins Cinema, London Road, have been left “devastated” after an application to renew its lease was turned down.

Although aware of plans to build a multiplex as part of the Park Street development, news that they will be out of a job in six weeks has shocked staff.

The announcement was made on Monday, just three weeks after St Michael’s councillor Melanie Longden predicted the arrival of the multiplex would sound the death knell for Robins.

Manager Dale Ballentine said he had expected the cinema to remain open until the multiplex was built in mid-2004.

But film fans in Camberley will be without a cinema for more than a year.

Mr Ballentine said: “We knew Camberley would have a multiplex in 2004 and we knew we wouldn’t be able to compete.

“But it would have been nice for us to close in 2004 and the multiplex open. Now Camberley’s going to be without a cinema.”

Realistic about its future, landlords were renewing the lease on the building every three months.

This was expected to continue until the building was demolished to make way for residential development next year.

But a better offer has been accepted from a company who will take over the building after the cinema closes.

Mr Ballentine said the rug has been firmly pulled from under them and the “shock had not set in”.

“The staff all get on so well, it’s like a little family. We’ve all of a sudden been told we’ve got a matter of weeks.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet — it’ll be the final week when it hits us.”

He said at the moment staff were trying to cope as best they could and he added he would personally contact other cinemas to get jobs for his employees. “There is an air of ‘what’s the point?’ It’s quite hard to get them — and myself — motivated.

“All we can do now is run it as best we can and make sure everything goes smoothly, but there won’t be any major changes.”

He added there was a danger of teenagers who frequented the cinema becom-ing bored with nowhere to go.

“We keep our audience with cheap ticket prices for the latest releases. Our cheapest ticket is £2.50, in the multiplexes you’re talking more like £6 or £7.

“This will affect the teenagers who don’t want to travel out of the area and the older people who can’t.”

Mr Ballentine, 20, has been manager at the Robins in Camberley for just two months and was looking forward to bringing a bright, young perspective to the cinema.

He moved to Camberley from Durham where he found himself in exactly the same situation — a multiplex moved into the area and his cinema was forced to close.

“This is happening across the whole of the Robins chain. The public don’t seem to want to go to independent cinemas any more.”

He added the closure of a Camberley landmark came at “a sad time” for small cinemas, as neighbouring Aldershot has also lost its three-screen venue.

On hearing the news, Cllr Longden said it was a great shame that the cinema was to close and felt very sorry for the staff.

She believed the town was to lose a well-used facility and said she was concerned for the future of the building.

“It’s really sad. It is another piece of Camberley’s history gone.”

She believed the closure added to the loss of Camberley’s identity and said that all towns were becoming similar.

“For those that are Camberley born and bred I imagine they have had many a conversation saying the town is not as nice as it used to be.”